Mia (Dragon Quest XI)
Mia is a character who appears in XI. She is Erik's younger sister and only biological relative, as seen in flashbacks. Biography Early life Mia was orphaned along with Erik somewhere near the city of Sniflheim and taken in by the Vikings that lived in the region. The Vikings, however, prove to be cruel slave drivers. Each night, the brother and sister would confide in one another, each dreaming and scheming a way out of their predicament. Each day, the two were worked to the bone. If any did not do as asked, or committed an offence, they were pushed twice as hard. Still, the pair regularly attended church in the city proper, where the priest befriended them; and through the years, he learned much of their history. On Mia‘s birthday five years ago, Erik plunders a necklace of gold, adorned with solid rubies, and gives it to her as a gift. The moment she puts it on, everything she touches — living or not — turns to solid gold. With this, Mia realises that she may be able to escape sooner than she had ever thought possible. Erik, meanwhile, has set his sights on greater treasures of the world. Mia’s greed soon gets the better of her, and before long, she herself is turned to gold. Mia reaches out to Erik in pain, but he can do nothing. Her statue is rooted to the spot in their shelter beyond the Vikings‘ hideout. Rise of the Lord of Shadows After the fall of the World Tree, Erik ends up somewhere near Puerto Valor and stumbles into the cargo hold of the Salty Stallion while the Luminary and his allies prepare to board the ship. He makes his presence known as the party heads for the Open Sea, rummaging around to sate intense hunger. The party is shocked by this development. Erik also is confused, because he has a severe case of amnesia. He remembers nothing except who he is, but agrees to go along with them to investigate a mysterious gold barrier in the north. Before they can reach Sniflheim, the fish-fiend Alizarin attacks, using the Red Orb to bolster his defences. Despite his best efforts to sink the Stallion, he is quickly dispatched. As they approach the city, they find it and its people subject to another curse. Citizens are mysteriously vanishing after turning into gold. The unafflicted tremble with fear, while Erik doubles over in pain. Hoping to find a cure for his amnesia, the remaining townsfolk direct the party to the priest of the church. There, in a private rectory, more of Erik‘s past is revealed. As he struggles to remember, his pains grow worse to the point that he pleads to cease the inquiry. Based on the information previously obtained, their next destination is the Vikings‘ hideout. Before they set out, however, Gyldenauts and a Gyldenbritches attack from the sea, taking lifelike gold statues with them and kidnapping Erik in the process. The rest of the party decides to follow them back to the hideout. At the hideout, Erik is swiftly rescued from the incompetent guardsmen. The party then proceeds to Erik‘s old shelter, where an intact Yggdrasil root exposes more of Erik‘s past. His composure crumbles instantaneously, as he is wracked with survivor’s guilt for not saving Mia. But, in the five years since the accident, the statue has moved. In one final memory, Mordegon releases Mia from her curse, weaponising her greed and anguish to transform her into Gyldygga, a powerful beast that can transmute any matter into gold. The party must storm the massive Gyldenhal she constructed and put an end to the curse. Erik tries to reason with the newly-minted Spectral Sentinel, but she is blinded by her greed and rage, and so attacks the party. After a long and brutal battle, Gyldygga falls. Mia returns to her senses, but the powers granted by the necklace careen out of control, causing her golden fortress to collapse. Erik dives in to save her, but almost turns to gold himself. With the Luminary's aid, Mia breaks the spell and collapses from shock. Both brother and sister are taken back to the city to recover. Mia wakes up after her former master has been defeated, and she and Erik decide to go on a treasure hunt sometime later. In Search of Lost Time In the revised timeline, Mordegon has already been neutralised, meaning that the World of Darkness scenario never happened. Thus, Mia is still a statue when she is visited at the shelter. Erik nonetheless introduces the party to her, but has not found a way to free her. He turns to the Luminary for help, who holds up the Sword of Light and breaks her curse. This time around, even she is amazed by his power. Traces of the girl trapped five years ago remain, and she goes to sulk in the corner of the cave. After a while, she asks her brother to take care of a treasured pendant in her stead. Erik makes a pact with her to bring her along on a treasure hunt after the Dark One is deposed. Trivia *Despite not being a party member in the game, Mia can be seen as an antithesis to Milly, from Dragon Quest VI. Both were sisters of a gruff sibling, (Terry & Erik), both were in a harmful situation that motivated their siblings to go on a quest (Milly getting kidnapped by bandits from Felonia, Mia gets turned into a gold statue from a cursed necklace), and both fight their sibling later in their games. **However, the difference is that while Milly is a party member to the Hero (Dragon Quest VI) and aids him in defeating Murdaw and Mortamor, Mia becomes one of Mordegon's Spectral Sentinels and has to be fought to dispel the Gold Fever. Category:Dragon Quest XI characters Category:Female characters